LISTEN: Carlos Beltran Says On WFAN He Prefers Outfield Over DH
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- After Carlos Beltran got red hot at the plate while filling in as the Yankees' designated hitter, many observers argued the team would be better off with him, and not Alex Rodriguez, as its full-time DH.
But in an interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa, Beltran said he prefers to play in the outfield.
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"Honestly, being an everyday outfielder for all my career, I feel like being in the outfield, for me, I'm in the game," he said. "Being a DH is kind of tough because you get caught up into being sitting on the bench for a long time without doing nothing and just going to hit.
"But you know what? When Alex was out, (manager) Joe (Girardi) put me at the DH, and I had a good series. Hey man, that's something that I have to consider maybe later on in my career."
At 39 years old, Beltran is already late in his career. But he's putting together one of his best seasons in years. Beltran is batting .272 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs.
He's been particularly good since May 19. Over that span, he's hitting .328 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
"I was able to make some adjustments (last season)," Beltran said. "Throughout the offseason, I was able to work on them. And when I got to spring training, I felt like my swing was good, and I just needed to continue to work hard. And thank God, I started the season being consistent, and I'm just happy that I'm just doing my job and helping the team as much as I can."
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The Yankees are 28-30 and in fourth place in the American League East, but Beltran hopes the team, which has won the first two games of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, is turning a corner.
"It's been a tough year for us, no doubt about it," he said. "Not only offensively, but also being able to put things together. We feel like we haven't played our best baseball yet. But you know what? I think being able to be home right now and being able to win these two games against the Angels, right now we feel good about ourselves. We hope to continue to play as good a baseball as we're doing right now and try to be consistent because at the end of the day that's what we need to be."
Beltran is increasingly being referred to as a likely Hall of Famer. Over his 19-year career, he has batted .280 with more than 2,500 hits and 400 homers and delivered several big postseason moments. He, however, said he hasn't spent much time contemplating whether he deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.
"It's not in my mind honestly because I have a commitment with the Yankees," Beltran said. "My commitment is to come here every day and try to prepare myself and do the best I can. I will say that when I retire from baseball, I will for sure look into the numbers, of course compare myself with players that are in the Hall of Fame and see if I'm close to them in certain areas, and hopefully I get the consideration."
To listen to the full interview, in which Beltran also discusses the Yankees' HOPE Week, click on the audio player above.
